Bushfire recovery underway as weather improves

Thousands of sheep have been lost in the fires, volunteers are helping to care for those that survived.

AAP: Tracey Nearmy

As the bushfire threat in northern New South Wales eases, authorities are turning their attentions to the recovery effort.

It is just over a week since fire ripped through the Warrumbungle National Park, near Coonabarabran.

The Rural Fire Service says the blaze destroyed 53 homes, 113 outbuildings and farm machinery has well as many heads of livestock.

Rain in the area has helped crews contain the fire and a local recovery committee, formed last week, will now develop a longer term plan to help residents.

A recovery centre has so far seen 130 adults as well as 50 children.

The Director of Response and Recovery with the Police and Emergency Services ministry, Rachel Nibbs, says one of the priorities is likely to be on longer term accommodation for those who have lost their homes.

She says a subcommittee will also be formed which will look at support to the youth around the area.

"They'll be looking at how we can actually reach out to young people and children both through the local schools and the youth networks in terms of engaging with them and also with their parents and friends," she said.

"We also have school returning in a couple of weeks time, so one of the things that we're interested to do is to start reaching out to young people."

About nine chaplains from the Disaster Recovery Chaplaincy Network have been working in the area.

Richard Howarth is normally based at Gillieston Heights in the Hunter.

He says support will be particularly important for those people who have lost their homes.

"There's always that capacity to want to lay blame sometimes about what they've lost," he said.

"There's that reality of the loss that they've gone through, so just working through that stage of their grief and hopefully once they get maybe through the anger, they'll reach that point where they can perhaps reach some normality and acceptance of what's happened."

Stock losses

The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (DPI) estimates 13,000 head of stock has been lost across the state and it is expected the number will rise as animals die from infections.

The majority of losses were in the state's south among sheep flocks in the Yass region earlier this month.

It is estimated about 10,000 head of livestock died in that fire, or had to be destroyed.

The DPI is still assessing losses around Coonabarabran but the State Emergency Co-ordinator Simon Oliver says its likely to be running into the hundreds, and mainly cattle.

He says the state figure is likely to lift due to injuries suffered in the fires.

"[It may be] they're too close to the heat zone so it has an impact on their lungs and their feet can become infected and hoofs can drop off several days after the fire," he said.

Fodder is being donated from across the state as well from Queensland and Victoria.

Meanwhile, the DPI is warning there is a risk of farming water supplies for livestock being contaminated by ash slurry from bushfires.

Some rain has fallen in the Coonabarabran region and the department has received a report of a heavy downfall in the fire zone causing a flow of black slurry.